Our Programs

By 2027, Avanti seeks to enable 100,000 students from low-income backgrounds to gain admission into top-tier STEM colleges, leading to stable careers and the ability to transform their life trajectories.

The Problem

What we want to Change

Today, less than 1.5% of low-income high-school graduates in India escape poverty. Avanti Fellows seeks to change this.

The Opportunity

95% of all high-employability college courses are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM). 
Less than 10% of all applicants to national entrance exams (eg. JEE and NEET) qualify into these top-tier undergraduate programs.

The Problem we’re trying to Solve for

Most successful candidates spend more than Rs. 200,000 on high quality private test preparation. 
Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are systematically shut out of these programs.

<20% of students at top tier STEM undergraduate programs come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds - this is despite them representing 90% of India’s population. This is largely driven by reservation policies.

35% of all students at these colleges are girls regardless of income. Women are half as likely to qualify into top-tier colleges as boys and 1/5th as likely to qualify into elite (top 1%) colleges as boys.

Our Approach

Collaboration with State Governments

We work with state governments to improve curriculum, train teachers and identify high-potential students across the state. These students are able to access high-intensity synchronous online tutoring, tests and digital learning content through a free online learning portal.

Our program is also among a small number of online programs with demonstrated effectiveness. Active participation increases the rate of qualification into top-tier STEM colleges by over 2.5-fold for boys and over 5-fold for girls.

Empowering Gifted Girls

Our program is especially well-suited to gifted girls.

They do not need to travel to tutoring centres after-school hours and can attend online classes late at night (when their parents return from work and can share their smartphone).

In addition to tutoring, girls also receive specific counselling, life-skills coaching and mentoring from female professionals. Over 60% of all participants in our program are girls. This is unique - especially given the tech-first approach.

Operating Model

Traditional approaches to after-school tutoring and test prep have relied on residential programs and on after-school tutorial centres.

These models, while effective, are extremely expensive ($2,000 per student per year) and are difficult to scale operationally.

These programs often systematically exclude girls (who are discouraged from travelling to tutoring centres and will often opt out of residential programs) and the most economically disadvantaged (who can’t afford the travel cost to special centres).

Our approach allows state governments to create a public, free-to-use online platform for every student in the state and implement free, online mock-tests for the entire population. Students who have a strong interest in attending high-intensity tutoring then opt in to live synchronous tutoring. This program costs <$500 per student per year participating in online tutoring.

Our Programs

FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING (GRADE 9 & 10)

Avanti’s Foundation Program focuses on finding systemic solutions to ensure government school students graduate 10th grade with grade level mastery in Math and Science, increasing the pool of students who are academically capable of qualifying a myriad of STEM-related competitive exams

Goal

6 hours a week of content focused on grade-level competencies and practising advanced problem-solving skills.

Program Delivery: In-person in residential schools and online.

Online programs are both synchronous (live classes) and asynchronous (whatsapp based learning).

Program Design

This program is currently being implemented in:

  • Haryana (80 Schools)

  • Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Schools (20 schools)

  • Himachal Pradesh (300 students).

Implementation

GIRLS LEADERSHIP (GRADES 8-10)

Our Girls Leadership Program strives to empower young women by cultivating their agency and amplifying their voices. We aim to build their self-expression, life skills, dream-building, goal-setting, and a stronger sense of self-worth. Ultimately, our program is designed to help these young women establish themselves as confident, capable leaders who are ready to take on the world.

Goal

Our goal is to pave the way for girls to succeed in their education and beyond, breaking barriers and shaping better futures for themselves.

Our approach is centered on empowering young girls (from grades 8-10) to not only recognize gender biases but also understand how these biases can impact their future. By taking an early intervention approach, we aim to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently make choices and overcome barriers. 

Program Design

 Undertaking online and offline sessions to build their skills and perspective

Giving them exposure and mentorship support by STEM women leaders and role models

 Creating communities for young girls to collectively address their challenges. 

TEST PREPARATION (GRADE 11 & 12)

The Test Prep program is a high-touch after school program for students enrolled in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and Government schools across India to secure admission in the top Engineering and Medical colleges in India.

Goal

 12 hours a week of content focused on grade-level competencies and practising advanced problem-solving skills.

Program Delivery: In-person in residential schools and online.

Online programs are both synchronous (live classes) and asynchronous (whatsapp based learning).

Program Design

  • Avanti Fellows is one of the official knowledge partners of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), specifically to deliver free of cost, high quality competitive exam preparation to the JNV students. During the extended COVID-19 lockdown, this partnership expanded significantly to provide remote coaching to nearly 164 JNVs, roughly one third of the JNVs in India.

  • In 2021-22, Avanti Fellows expanded its test prep intervention to offer fully digital JEE/NEET programs in partnership with the state government Himachal Pradesh. Through an Avanti-run selection process, students are offered the opportunity to enroll in and prepare for JEE/NEET free of cost.

  • In Himachal, the program worked with nearly 200 of the most academically capable students from across the state to prepare them for the JEE/NEET exams. This program was piloted with the intention to scale it across the state in future years.

Implementation